Crossing projects advance in California, Ohio and Washington

The Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority (ACE) yesterday received 12 bids for the Puente Avenue grade separation project in Industry, Calif.

The four lowest bids were submitted by OHL USA, $38,863,053; Powell Constructors Inc., $40,010,447; Flatiron West Inc., $40,418,474; and Ames Construction Inc., $41,478,941. All the bids are subject to further review and an award is anticipated in late summer or fall, according to ACE.

The project calls for separating the roadway and grade crossing along a Union Pacific Railroad line on Puente Avenue at Valley Boulevard in Industry and an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The selected contractor will build an underpass with bridges and a loop connector road.

The project will reduce traffic congestion at the crossing, which is traversed by 20 trains per day — a number that's projected to increase to 42 by 2025, according to ACE.

Meanwhile, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has approved allocating about $40,000 from the state's Grade Crossing Protective Fund to help pay for upgrades at two crossings.
 
The Cascade & Columbia River Railroad will upgrade the crossing signal system, including the replacement of batteries and a battery charger, and the installation of new crossbucks and gates with LED lights. The railroad also will upgrade the train-detection system from analog to digital constant-warning technology. Work must be completed by May 1, 2015.

In addition, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing CSX Transportation and the Indiana and Ohio Railway (IORY) to upgrade crossings in Butler and Auglaize counties.

CSX will install flashing lights and roadway gates at the Township Road 4 crossing near Middletown, and IORY will install flashing lights and roadway gates at the Township Road 130 crossing near Uniopolis. Work must be completed by Feb. 13, 2015.